Melissa Markley, University of Alabama and Lenita Davis, University of Alabama

The interaction between providers and customers is a complicated topic as the ability to identify and meet customer goals is the key to any successful service encounter.Expanding on previous consumer behavior literature, a qualitative methodology combining personal interviews and 70 critical incident surveys identified customer strategies used to achieve desired service exchange outcomes .As the service relationship is bi-directional, the customer’s behaviors toward the service providers must be considered.Recognizing these strategies and motivations employed by customers and how they are connected to consumer goals facilitates the service provider’s attempts to customize services.